Call for cancer warnings on bacon
Experts last week gave an urgent warning that bacon and ham products in the UK should have cancer risk warnings in a similar style to tobacco. Nitrites are the focus of the scientists’ concern — the chemical used to preserve processed pork products that’s been strongly linked to bowel cancer.
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As the disease has cost the NHS roughly £3bn since the World Health Organisation declared processed meats carcinogenic in 2015, the group of scientists, some of whom are from the WHO, want to pressure the Government to take preventative action with warnings on packets.
Health and fitness brands are among Britain’s fastest-growing companies (Alamy/PA)
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Women are winning the exercise race
Women could be getting more bang for their buck than men with exercise, according to a recent study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research. Looking at 85,000 people’s wrist device data, the research found that females, compared to men, experience a threefold greater reduction in mortality risk from heart disease when exercising the same amount.
While the reasons behind this curious contrast in men and women’s anatomy remain a mystery, scientists hope the findings will lead to more tailored exercise recommendations for different sexes.
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Teeth reveal Napoleonic horror
Napoleon Bonaparte’s retreat from Moscow in 1812 resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of troops. But recent research has revealed how these men actually died. Looking at DNA samples from the soldiers’ teeth, scientists identified two species of fever-causing bacteria — Salmonella enterica, which causes paratyphoid fever, and the lice-borne Borrelia recurrentis, responsible for relapsing fever. Historians have long theorised that Napoleon’s retreat was a cesspit of infectious disease — now they have genetic proof.
Groups of meat-eating dinosaurs stalked the East Sussex coast 135 million years ago (Anthony Hutchings)
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A mysterious dinosaur skull has puzzled experts since the 1940s. This week saw a new piece of evidence upheave the archaeological cold case. Originally thought to be from a T-Rex, the small skull’s provenance has been rethought in light of a skeleton found in Montana back in 2006. After new research on the skeleton, it was found to be an entirely new species of reptile, rather than a T-Rex, implicating the characterisation of the mystery skull.
By tracing the growth rings in the bones of the full skeleton, experts discovered the dinosaur was an adult, yet still half the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Whilst some scientists doubt the validity of the findings, it opens up possibilities of an entirely new type of dinosaur.
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Weight-loss drugs could help the heart
A new study from UCL has found that Wegovy and Ozempic may help protect heart health independently of their weight loss effects. Drawing on data from 17,604 adults aged 45 and older, researchers discovered that semaglutide—the active ingredient in both drugs—reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 20 per cent, regardless of body mass index. Published in The Lancet, the findings suggest the drug’s benefits reach far beyond fat reduction.
While decreased waist size accounted for about a third of the cardiovascular protection, the remaining effects were linked to improvements in inflammation, cholesterol, and blood vessel function. The research reframes the potential of semaglutide, proving its usefulness beyond weight loss.
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